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In Case You Missed It - off track in Mexico

31 Oct 2016

The majestic Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez provided atmosphere and action aplenty in Sunday’s Formula 1 Gran Premio de Mexico 2016. However, there was also much going on behind the scenes in the build-up to the race. Here's our social media round-up of just a few of the highlights...

Suits you sir

Grammy-award winning rapper, singer, songwriter, producer and actor Drake celebrated his 30th birthday on the Monday after this year's Grand Prix in Austin - and luckily racewinner Lewis Hamilton was on hand to give the Canadian the perfect present...


Sleeping beauty

Daniel Ricciardo believed he'd caught Vettel napping when he barrelled down the inside at Turn 4 in the closing laps in Mexico - but earlier in the week it was the Australian who was taken unawares, much to Romain Grosjean's amusement.


It's all in the footwork

Pascal Wehrlein was one of several drivers to face off against footballing royalty in the second 'from track to court' event. The German was quick to make an impact, with few able to keep up with him in a direct sprint - much like his Manor team, then.


Fiesta spirit

Local favourites Sergio Perez and Esteban Gutierrez - and Force India's departing Nico Hulkenberg - donned traditional sombreros for this promotional shot with petrolhead Carlos Slim Domit, one of the driving forces behind the revived - and wildly popular - Mexican Grand Prix.


Out for the count

Valtteri 'The Bomber' Bottas? Esteban 'Grappler' Gutierrez? We're not sure what nicknames our drivers would use as pro-wrestlers, but we're confident they appreciated not being put to the test given the size and skills of the luchadores in Mexico.


The art of exploiting loopholes

Finding loopholes in the regulations has become a practised art in F1 - and Red Bull thought they had found a trick by fitting Verstappen's boat with buoyancy aids on the oars. Great Britain's double Olympic gold medallist rower James Cracknell was quick to see through the 'innovation' though...


Try stopping these two

Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo cut rather imposing figures as they entered the F1 paddock on Thursday in full 'Day of the Dead' makeup.


Hospitality with a difference

Red Bull's drivers weren't the only ones marking Día de Muertos - Mercedes' hospitality had a distinctly different look on Friday.


Blues music

How do F1 teams properly mark the occasion of working in Mexico? By inviting a full Mariachi band and dancers to play while they work, of course...


Job swap?

Perhaps the Mariachi music got to them - whatever the reason, Red Bull decided to put Verstappen through his paces in pit stop practice early in the weekend. Luckily for them, he isn't planning to hang up his race helmet any time soon...


McLaren's bold new livery

We're not sure about the aerodynamic benefits - but a beaded McLaren certainly grabbed all the attention as Jenson Button was one of the honoured guests at a special reception in the British embassy in Mexico City.


Juan still a one-off

Mexico City proved the fastest circuit on the calendar in 2015, so it was only fitting to see speed king Juan Pablo Montoya in the paddock this year. The Colombian's record of 372.6km/h still stands too - although Valtteri Bottas came oh so close to beating it, clocking 372.5km/h through the speed traps on Sunday.


Knockout power

Three-time heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis and World Cup winner Carlos Puyol know a thing or two about conquering the world - so Nico Rosberg will be hoping something rubs off as he continues his bid for a maiden F1 world drivers' crown.


Game, set, match

Unprecedented success?  Managing inter-team rivalries? Finding motivation to not only maintain your performance, but continually improve? All qualities both Mercedes and their special guest, 22-time tennis grand slam winner Serena Williams, have in abundance...


Like mother, like son

With parents like his, perhaps Max Verstappen was always destined for motorsport success - and the Dutch teenager had a special message for mother (and former karting champion) Sophie over the weekend.


Silly season has got... well, sillier

We all love an outlandish rumour after all... Force India have a vacancy for 2017 following Nico Hulkenberg's switch to Renault, and the team cheekily suggested three-time F1 champion Jackie Stewart might be in the frame...


The Demon

We're not sure this is the look Daniel Ricciardo was going for - but ever since team mate Max Verstappen pointed out the similarities to Kiss's famous frontman Gene Simmons, we can't unsee the likeness!


A festival of lights

Knowledge over ignorance, hope over despair - the powerful mottos of Diwali also apply in F1, as McLaren highlighted during the weekend in Mexico City.


Looking sharp

The modern day F1 driver needs to be multi-talented, both on and off the track - so no surprise that Manor's Alexander Rossi, Red Bull's Pierre Gasly and Ferrari's Jean-Eric Vergne all shone on the Amber Lounge catwalk. It's a tough life sometimes...


Brazilian brotherhood

Two-time F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi had a special greeting for fellow Brazilian legend Felipe Massa - who will race in front of his home crowd for the 13th and final time in a fortnight's time.


Renault ready for the fight

It might not catch on, but Renault's special helmets meant their crew certainly looked the part in the build up to Sunday's race.


New safety innovations

The Mexican marshals unveiled a bold new strategy for avoiding accidents - scaring drivers into slowing down. With 135,000 raucous fans also getting into the spirit, the race proved another wild hit with the locals.


Which one is on drums?

Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez strike their best boyband pose on the way to the Mexican grid.

 


Prize memorabilia

Swapping shirts is a long-established tradition in football - but some drivers went even further in Mexico by exchanging race lids. Alonso might have got a slightly raw deal, however...